Having the best three frontline in the EPL last season, it was a little bit of surprise when Jurgen Klopp splashed more than £42m on Egyptian Mohammed Salah. Initially speculated as a replacement for Barcelona linked Philippe Coutinho, Liverpool refused to sanction the sale of the Brazilian which was commendable at the time.
This season unlike the likes of Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte who would normally prefer to play two or three attacking players in their starting line-ups (Romelu Lukaku, Marcus Rashford and Henrikh Mkhitaryan for United; Alvaro Morata, Eden Hazard for Chelsea ) , Klopp has often played all four of his attackers with Coutinho moving to midfield and Moh Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino in attack . With top spot at stake in their Champions League group, Klopp started all four in a 4-3-3 formation on paper while in practical terms it was a masterclass of 4-4-1-1 when attacking (Wjinaldum and Emre Can in central midfield flanked by Mane and Coutinho , leaving Firmino behind Salah which allowed Coutinho the freedom to run riot on the flanks ). Although Firmino is good in attack , the Brazilian is better as a supporting striker considering his tendency to drop deep and get involved in play , freeing Salah to stay high up the pitch making the mesmerising runs to distract defenders. Klopp's game plan was to attack the Russians on the flanks using Mane and Coutinho who can also play central but better when on the wings as it allows him to cut and shoot, curl or lay it for their team mates to finish up. In such system , Salah and Firmino rarely ran back to defend even when without the ball as Liverpool's high line pushed Spartak to sit deep and defend . At the end , the four attackers had a field day as three of them completed 10 successful take-ons (Salah-5, Coutinho -3 and Mane 2) and the game ending 7-0 in their favour as well as their goals on the night (Coutinho-3, Mane -2, Firmino- 1 and Salah -1).
In midfield , Wjinaldum was paired with a more defensive Emre Can to offer defensive stability to the attacking side. Though he is not as attacking as club captain Jordan Henderson, Can's hard tackling and physicality in the middle of the park can't be matched by any Liverpool player . Klopp was not looking for a counter attacking style of game which would have suited Henderson perfectly due to his near perfect long range passing and build up play , rather the German wanted a player who won't stray forward no matter the temptation. Also with Can in the side Alberto Moreno was likely to get a better defensive cover when he pushes forward although that wasn't necessary on the night as Liverpool's game plan wasn't about crossing (just two crosses all night which was from James Milner "Moreno's "replacement) but on running behind the Spartak defence,engaging them on one on one situations and shooting on sight evidenced by their 10 shots on target to Spartak's 5.
Finally although he is known as an inverted winger, Moh Salah plays as a false 9 for Liverpool as this allows him the freedom to create space for his team mates and finish off chances due to his finishing prowess. This has made it difficult for opponents to contain the Reds as they rely mainly on their quick and skillful inverted wingers (Mane and Coutinho)
to stretch defenders at the same time running at them and interchanging at will . With a goal difference of +17 ( second placed Sevilla having 0), it will take something special to outwit Klopp's side judging by their form for any team who they are paired against in the knockout.
Liverpool might be leaking goals at the back yet that should not be a problem if the front four continue with their impeccable form .
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